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Russia v Saudi Arabia (2018 World Cup)
| team1score = 5 | team2 = Saudi Arabia | team2association = | team2score = 0 | details = Report | date = 14 June 2018 | stadium = Luzhniki Stadium | city = Moscow | man_of_the_match1a = Denis Cheryshev (Russia) | referee = Néstor Pitana (Argentina) | attendance = 78,011 | weather = 17 °C (62 °F) | previous = | next = }} Russia v Saudi Arabia was a match which took place at the Luzhniki Stadium on Thursday 14 June 2018. The match was the opening match for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Preview and teams's preparation Russia have brought 38-year-old Sergei Ignashevich out of international retirement because of a number of defensive injuries and he is expected to start. Star man Aleksandr Kokorin misses this tournament with a knee injury, so their most likely match-winner is striker Fyodor Smolov. Russia go into the draw as the lowest-ranked of the 32 teams, having failed to advance past the group stage of any tournament since 2008. Ambitious talk of reaching the quarter-finals or even semi-finals has faded. After bypassing the qualification process as tournament hosts, Russia have endured a torrid run of results that has seen them plummet to number 66 in the Fifa rankings. Their last victory came against South Korea in October 2017 and since then they have gone five games without victory. Saudi Arabia coach Juan Antonio Pizzi faces a selection dilemma up front. Mohammed Al-Sahlawi and Muhannad Assiri both rotated in the warm-up friendlies. Saudi Arabia stepped up their World Cup preparations in an international friendly with Italy. Yahya Al-Shehri scored Saudi Arabia's only goal in a 2-1 defeat to the Azzurri, who will not be represented at this year's World Cup. Italy forward Mario Balotelli scored in his first international start for four years in Roberto Mancini's first game in charge since become Italy's new head coach. Preparations for Russia have been far from ideal since qualifying for a fifth World Cup, with two coaches fired. Edgardo Bauza was dismissed nine days before the draw after only five friendlies in charge. The team lost to Portugal and Bulgaria last month. Bauza had been appointed in September to replace Bert van Marwijk, who was fired despite leading the team to their first World Cup since 2006. Current coach, Pizzi, will be tasked with improving on Saudi Arabia's best-ever performance at World Cup - the second-round exit to Sweden at the 1994 tournament in the United States. Head to head Saudi Arabia won 4-2 at home in the only previous encounter, a friendly in October 1993. Opening ceremony Singer Robbie Williams performed during a colourful opening ceremony before the match, marking the start of a feast of football that will see 64 games played at 12 venues over the next month. Williams went through several of his biggest hits in front of a largely appreciative crowd that featured football fans from all over the world as well as a large Russian contingent. However, there was a controversy after Williams was shown "flipped the bird". Fox in the U.S. apologized for the incident. The incident was not shown on ITV in the UK who had cut away prior to the encore. A lengthy address from Putin was followed by a short speech from Fifa president Gianni Infantino - but eventually the words ended and the football finally began. Match The 2018 World Cup opened in spectacular fashion as Russia defied their recent poor form to score five past Saudi Arabia and record the biggest win by the host nation in the opening game of a World Cup since 1934. Stanislav Cherchesov's team had not won in their past seven matches and had been criticised from all sides, including a series of barbed comments from Russian president Vladimir Putin. But in front of a largely partisan crowd of 78,011 at the Luzhniki Stadium they never looked in danger against a naïve Green Falcons' side that seemed only too willing to gift possession to their opponents. A completely unmarked Yury Gazinsky headed his first goal for Russia before substitute Denis Cheryshev evaded several weak challenges and smashed home at the near post close to half-time. The tempo slowed and the atmosphere flattened after the restart, giving the whole thing the feel of a friendly match. But substitute Artem Dzyuba illuminated a match of often dubious quality with a precise header to extend his team's lead just minutes after replacing Fedor Smolov. And as the match moved into injury time the impressive Cheryshev smashed home with a crisp strike into the top corner before the superb Aleksandr Golovin curled a free-kick around the wall. It put the seal on a sensational and unexpected start to the World Cup for the hosts - and gives them a real chance of qualifying from the group stage. Details |score = 5–0 |report = Report (FIFA) BBC Report |team2 = |goals1 = Gazinsky Cheryshev Dzyuba Golovin |goals2 = |stadium = Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |attendance = 78,011 |referee = Néstor Pitana (Argentina) }} |valign="top"| |valign="top" width="50%"| |} Group A Table |w=1 |d=0 |l=0 |gf=5 |ga=0 |bc=lightgreen}} |w=0 |d=0 |l=0 |gf=0 |ga=0 |bc=lightgreen}} |w=0 |d=0 |l=0 |gf=0 |ga=0}} |w=0 |d=0 |l=1 |gf=0 |ga=5}} |} Match Stats= See also *2018 FIFA World Cup **2018 FIFA World Cup Group A External links *Match report at BBC.co.uk *Match report at FIFA.com *Match report at official team sites **Russian Football Union report (in Russian) **Saudi Arabian Football Federation report (in Arabic) *Match preview – Telegraph Category:2018 FIFA World Cup Matches